Lot 112
  • 112

Alexander Calder

Estimate
1,000,000 - 1,500,000 USD
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Description

  • Alexander Calder
  • Untitled
  • signed with the artist's monogram and dated 57 on the largest element
  • painted metal and wire hanging mobile
  • 15 1/2 by 57 1/2 by 41 in. 29.4 by 146.1 by 104.1 cm.
  • Executed in 1957, this work is registered in the archives of the Calder Foundation, New York, under application number A25776.

Provenance

Private Collection, Roxbury (gift of the artist)
By descent to the present owner

Condition

This work is in very good and sound condition overall. The elements move freely and smoothly. There are some spots on the wire that have oxidized, with some minor paint loss at the joins. Some of the elements exhibit spots of small paint loss and oxidation.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Alexander Calder is one of the most celebrated and revered sculptors of the Post-War era. Playful, curious, and clever, Calder suspended lively constellations in mid-air, ingeniously freeing the state of sculpture from its static plinth. Influenced by the Surrealist work of Joan Mirò and his Paris contemporaries, Calder began experimenting with ‘mobiles’ in the 1930s. Creating a sculpturally abstract experience, his mobiles took on an organic and biomorphic ambience.

When Calder and his wife Louisa moved to Roxbury, Connecticut, he was inspired by the open space and changing seasons. Converting an old ice house and later a barn into studios, Calder started to expand the scale of his projects and created outdoor sculpture. Advanced by his study of mechanical engineering and faced with the changing elements of the Northeast, it quickly became apparent that his materials must be weatherproofed. Working fastidiously with pliers and wire, Calder mastered the industrial medium of painted metal and transformed scraps into complex and delicate sequences.

Growing in popularity, Calder won the grand prize for sculpture at the 1952 Venice Biennale. All the while working from Connecticut, Calder’s place in the international art world became more defined. He was commissioned to create monumental sculptures for government plazas, public squares, and office atriums around the world. An international success, setting his aesthetic so far beyond the work of other sculptors, he stayed grounded by his wife, family, and friends in Roxbury. Calder and his wife were part of a strong community of artists, patrons, writers, and scholars in Connecticut. In Roxbury and the surrounding towns, they engaged in an active social life filled with dances and art festivals as well as private gatherings and celebrations. To this day, they are remembered fondly by friends and patrons alike.

Calder was famously generous with his talents, often painting and delivering gouaches as birthday cards. The recipient of this mobile from 1957 formed a close relationship with the artist from the early 1950s to the early 1960s, and Calder gave this work to him as a gift in the same year of it's creation. The mobile was made specifically and affectionately for the owner, as seen in the three heart-shaped elements. The heart motif is rare in works by Calder, but not entirely unique - the artist famously created a mobile for his daughter Mary, made entirely of heart elements. This special dedication is a testament to the relationship of Calder and the previous owner of the work, who also lived in Roxbury, Connecticut. Untitled from 1957 has remained in this Roxbury private collection ever since it was gifted in 1957.

Like most of Calder’s mobiles, the wires link complex structures that enable each element to spin and sway in response to its environment. The loosely choreographed composition intermingles with Calder’s signature shapes and lines. Four discs reach out from the center while a row of carefully hinged and balanced elements line up creating the familiar grace of a flying flock. Punctuated by the wit of the artist and honoring the recipient, three heart-shaped elements are showcased on the sculpture. A small, blue solid heart pops independently from its own branch on the mobile while a large, red heart with cut-out elements suspends facing downward towards the viewer, rotating amid three primary-colored discs.

Shadow, light, humor, and wonder – Calder’s mobiles are all about relationships: how the elements interact with each other and how the mobiles respond to their environments. This work pays tribute to the ever-changing relationships in life. Calder’s artistic legacy is rich with playful reflection and adoration, but this work is anchored in personal sentimentality and generosity towards the community he called home.